The Magic of Snow and Energizing Sacred Spaces – Farewell to Winter

There is something very magical about snow.  I think, for me, its the stillness of the snow and the fact that it is able to cover up so much.  As the snow delicately falls, or as you wake up to a 6″ of beautiful snow in the morning, all evidence of human debris, damage, and destruction seems to be melted away.  The world becomes seemingly untouched once again.  Certain kinds of snows “stick”; they stick to the trees, to the bushes, and make the landscape an incredible wonderland.   We’ve been blessed with a lot of snow this year–I expect this weekend’s snowfall in Michigan will be the last we see this year.

This winter wonderland greets me in cool whites and blues; a delicate dusting of snows on every branch, dried grass, and covering the pond.  Even though its march, we are still getting snow.  An early walk into the forest leaving nothing but my bootprints behind.  Others have been here before me–animal tracks in the snow. These secret animal pathways are invisible to us most of the year, but the snow brings them forth.

Speaking of magic, one of my favorite winter activities is empowering our outdoor stone sacred circle with various patterns when it snows. This year, for example, I’ve put three such patterns into the snow (and the wheel pattern stayed for a full month in February before melting).  I think this is a great way to empower an outdoor magical space–the patterns lend their energy, the repetition of walking them can be a form of walking meditation.

Here are two such patterns I walked this year.  A spiral, a wheel (with eight spokes, representing the wheel of the year) and an awen (which is not pictured because it was hard to get a clear shot of it).

Here are some other photos that show the beauty of winter.  As the Spring Equinox greets us next week, we’ll soon say goodbye to the magic of the snows and instead greet the blossoming of the spring.  Farewell winter!